As India claims it wants to ease tension with Pakistan, Islamabad vows to fight for Kashmir in the ‘international arena’

NEW DELHI – India aims to improve its relationship with Pakistan and is poised to show a moderate attitude, said Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Jaishankar’s statement on Monday came during a visit by the FM to China and responds to the recent crisis in Kashmir.

“India hopes to improve its relationship with Pakistan and is ready to exercise moderation, protect peace and stability in the region,” said the foreign minister as quoted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Relations between India and Pakistan, nuclear powers, are often described as tense, especially due to the dispute over Kashmir, a region claimed by both.

Diplomacy between countries has deteriorated due to the change in status of the region imposed by India last week. Pakistani officials accuse Indians of racism under the power of the situation party, the Hindu majority-controlled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

- Advertisement -

This comes as Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed Pakistani support for Kashmir and vowed to fight for the region of the international arena.

The statement came on Monday during a press conference by the official in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir region.

Qureshi underscored the efforts of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to reach out to foreign leaders and spread the Pakistani view of the situation in Kashmir. The chancellor mentioned that the country will take the matter to the UN Security Council, as quoted by Geo News.

The minister also announced a visit by the Pakistani prime minister to the region on August 14.

Last week, the Indian government announced its decision to withdraw autonomy from the Jammu region and Kashmir. In response to the movement, relations between Islamabad and New Delhi have deteriorated.

Relations between India and Pakistan have traditionally been strained because of disputes between parts of the Kashmir region since the independence of the former British Empire in 1947. Conflicts increased after an attack in Kashmir on February 14, when A suicide bomber from Pakistan attacked an Indian security convoy, killing more than 40 people.

Paul Antonopoulos is a Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies. He has an MA in International Relations and is interested in Great Power Rivalry as well as the International Relations and Political Economy of the Middle East and Latin America.